"Why Paper" by Akua Lezli Hope

Volume 2021 - Issue 1

Our 2021 Year-End Broadside features an evocative poem, “Why Paper” by Akua Lezli Hope, that ponders aspects of paper that we all love and appreciate. Papermaker Helen Hiebert was inspired by the poem to create an amazing batch of lightly pigmented, highly beaten, hand-made wild abaca paper for the broadside, deploying a unique two-step drying process that resulted in the paper’s irregular texture. And print artist Anna Benjamin, inspired partially by a live reading of the poem by the poet, created the unique illustration and typographical treatment. The image and text were hand-lettered and handdrawn for transparency, photo-exposed onto the screen, then screen-printed on the paper using water-based inks. The full edition of 130 signed and numbered copies was completed in November 2021 and sent as a gift of thanks to supporters who contributed to our 2021 Year-End fundraising campaign.

$125.00